All about Obama

When I read that Canadians prefer Obama to their own PM, I couldn't help thinking about what made Obama so appealing. The pessimistic types have noted that the topic of change has been touted in many a presidential campaign and almost none of them brought about this touted change. Nevertheless, Obama has much more than the potential for change. Although he is not perfect, his broad view of humankind and his passion to see in human terms, past race and religion, reveals the depth of prejudice and racism in the world. First, he was not black enough, didn't have a slave's ancestry and then he's not Christian enough. The public's reaction to these views starts with astonishment at the inherent irony and ends with action. On the first issue the dust has settled and most refer to him as a black candidate. I believe that is so, because Obama, if he did take offense, didn't react and didn't seem to feel compelled to assert his blackness; rather, he saw human beings with black skin, some descended from slaves, others not. Surprisingly, his paradigm of the common thread among human beings has been interpreted as superciliousness. (Jackson's vulgar remark, "I want to cut his nuts out," relates much more than a benign concern for the treatment of blacks: "a little jealous you didn't get this far?").

The second issue clearly is a non-issue: so what if his father was a Muslim? When I watched the interview of his half-sister, I couldn't believe she had to downplay her Muslim faith as well as her father's. What does the "controversy" around his background reveal about America? Obama's like a magnifying mirror bringing attention to the ugly spots. Can there really be so much bigotry? I guess so, since so many are adopting Hussein as a middle name. I like the reaction, but am dumbfounded it's necessary; I guess people really do see bin Laden when they look at an immigrant. Speaking of comedy, why is Stewart's Indecision 5768 removed from so many sites? Speaking of Israel, here's a virtual tour of Israel's atomic weapons facility based on photos taken by hidden camera; Mearsheimer and Walt held a forum in Tel Aviv, and here's an account.

So Obama is great and causes us to question the status quo, but what can one man do? Everything. Travel back to 1962 and consider how we got out of the Crisis (this site has actual clips of some of the meetings); it was Kennedy (and his brother). Just imagine if Bush was in power then. Obama, like Kennedy, has the character and intelligence to avert another world crisis. Support Obama.

Making it without cable

A number of years ago, in anticipation of the birth of our first child, we purchased a home. At the time we decided not to connect the cable and, since the reception was poor, have lived without TV programming since. Sacrifices were made, but we coped: I went out to pubs, my brother's and friends' places to watch sports and we borrowed heavily from libraries and video stores. In the beginning the internet offered very little as an alternate source of programming; now, due to changes in technology and mind-sets known as Web 2.0, it provides for the bulk of our watching.

After years of watching clips, trailers, as well as short films on sites such as iFilm and AtomFilms, I can now watch prime time TV on-line (for those who care, it's legal): in 2007 the big three TV networks began streaming prime time content. ABC was the first to do so, and they did it well. In the player, you can select which show and episode of their line-up you wish to watch; the programs load fast and then you watch it commercial-free in full-screen. ABC broke ground again by offering the four seasons of Lost in HD. (So far, they're the only ones to provide HD content.) NBC's HULU player not only contains their impressive line-up (e.g., The Office and 30 Rock), but an extensive library of past shows and movies. On the whole, I've found that their player operates a little slower than ABC's player. CBS took their time getting on board and has only done so half-heartedly: CBS provides very few full-length episodes of prime time shows and consists mainly of clips, which are not always clearly marked as they are in HULU. CBS, however, does provide a good selection of older shows. On the cable side: Showcase provides streaming of many of their awesome shows, HBO does not.

Now if you live in Canada, like me, CTV is your destination. Not only does it provide great Canadian content, such as Corner Gas, but it also has a wide selection programs, from Mad Men to The Colbert Report. This like the American network offerings is commercial-free and loads quickly; the only catch is that CTV, only hosts programs that are currently being broad-casted, presumably to reserve bandwidth and server space (ABC does this to a lesser extent: only affecting the previous season's episodes). The only downside is that none of NBC's programming has made it to the site. Although HULU, like ABC and CBS, are restricted, there is an easy work around. Just download, install, and run Hotspot Shield prior to going to the respective web-site. It also offers decent protection in wi-fi hot-spots. An alternative is to install and run Tor bundle; this method can be slower, depending on the server choice and requires some effort to set up (Torbutton works well with FireFox).

Watching movies, except through HULU, is somewhat less legal; however, if they are streamed it's pretty much a grey area since no content is actually stored on your computer. In effect, you're just using an on-line service. However, since storing content is illegal most of the movies are difficult to find without using an indexing service. (Although some surprising finds can be made searching YouTube and GoogleVideo, particularly in the case of documentaries.) I have found that OnclickVideos and alluc are the best. Although both present the material differently, Onclick with thumbnails and alluc with listings, they provide links, often multiple ones, to a wide variety of movies (including new releases). Most links are current. Nevertheless, the quality and buffering speed varies greatly depending on who hosts the material, so try the alternate links.

Since news broadcasts have been available on-line for years, the big vacuum on-line is sports coverage. Very little is available and when it is it's not available in a decent resolution. Sports, like the movie industry, are hampered by distribution rights and neither has come up with an adequate distribution model. Even when a pay-per-view system is attempted, networks use the awkward and antiquated DRM in MediaPlayer rather than Flash or DivX. Today I tried to watch the EuroCup 2008 final via the internet and was disappointed with a message noting that all available bandwidth was used up. This occurred after I had paid and after the website showed it was available. I am currently in the process of trying to get a refund. I came across Jumptv, which promises unlimited access to nearly every sports match, but have not yet tried it. Of course, this would be easy if I lived in Britain or could subvert the British system as easily as the American one, for ITV and the BBC show a number of sports live. If you know of a way let me know. I have tried Tor and Hotspot Shield.

As a side-note regarding Canada: Although I really enjoy Canadian content and the CRTC's promotion of it, I bristle at the CRTC's slow adoption policy. Come on! Two years to get iTunes in Canada, and then another two to get TV shows via iTunes (by which time the service had become irrelevant, not to mention the poor selection). The same also applied to satellite radio. In general, Canadian distribution seems to be far behind in everything; I should know as I've paid a ridiculous amount in duty and the courier's extortionate broker fee just trying to get unavailable items shipped up here.

Getting here

A big part of me brightened when I read that SUV and big truck sales have plummeted, causing a shift toward the production of fuel-efficient cars and technologies. The success of Honda, which has the most fuel-efficient line-up, illustrates this point: it was the only company to show an increase in sales (1 percent) while the sales of other companies, such as GM, Toyota, Ford plunged by 18 to 28 percent. Another part of me asks, "How did we get here?" and "Why did it take so long to realize we were here?" In other words, "Why were SUV's ever so popular?" and "Didn't they lose their luster years ago?" Although I never purchased one, I recall being entranced by them, wanting one and thinking it would solve all my problems (I could go wind-surfing anywhere and sleep in the back). Nevertheless, a year or so after, me and my friends were mocking all those ads showing a "ute" that still had its last waxing untouched by dirt in the middle of a forest or on a mountain-top. Perhaps, their expression of power or not giving a damn made them so appealing. Perhaps, nostalgia drew us in; I still want to rebuild a 70's era Toyota Land Cruiser to relive my travels as a kid through deserts and jungles.

Likely, it's some wider marketing tool more closely related to Manufacturing Consent. The StoryofStuff does an excellent job of how this came about. Soon stories such as Vancouver City Hall's conversion of free parking spots to pay spots won't make the news. In other words, items that aren't free won't be considered as such. Besides an opportunity-cost, parking spots have many costs which remain outside of the profitability equation, oil and gas run-off being the most prevalent. The frequency of oil-logged pits in parking spaces and the rainbow effect of mixed oil and water after a rain hints at just how much oil leaks out. In the end, the eco-system pays, as do we: "Mercury with your fish, anyone?"

Harper's Apology

After my complaint, I was happy to learn Harper would make an apology for Canada's treatment of First Nations in residential schools; however, I was skeptical of how sincere or thorough he would be. Harper, however, delivered: his apology (text excerpts here) was so much more than the words of speech writers; his teary eyes said it all, so did the tears of those on the Hill. These effects continued to spread: a First Nations friend of mine who home-schools her children offered to provide a seminar on the traditions of First Nations in response to questions stemming from the apology. As a result I was shocked when I heard a woman on the bus refer to an apology for the treatment of First Nations in foster care, and follow with echoes of Poilievre's ill chosen words; I guess some don't get it. I do agree with some pundits that the apology could have gone further, perhaps then everyone will get it.

Pain's devouring and the earth's finest

Since April illness has struck my family; I can almost imagine Apollo's arrows flying overhead. I was the first victim with a back injury, then as I began to get better, my wife's chronic back condition flared up. She continues to be riddled with pain and in the meantime her mother has been diagnosed with breast cancer and her grandmother has passed away. There is little one can do in these times but adapt. I now do most of the household duties and have had a difficult time completing my other work. The upside is I've gotten to spend more time with my family and I've been exploring new tastes since I now do all the shopping.

I have invested heavily in stimulants to combat my tiredness. One of my favourites is chocolate and I've tried many types: Chocolate Santander produces high quality single-origin bars; I have not been disappointed with any of their bars. The website has a graphic for each bar, which breaks down the flavours of each bar (this one's from the 70 percent cacao):


For an extra kick I turn to the 70% with Coffee Bits, although it does have a bitter after-taste. The 53%, my favorite, has a smooth caramel flavour and rich creamy texture.

OrganicFair is produced much closer to home in Cobble Hill. They have a much wider array of offerings, yet despite compelling combinations, some varieties remain inferior to other products. For instance, Chiapas with cinnamon, cardamom, and chipotle chile does not compare with Cocoa Camino's Chili & Spice. While Camino achieves a balance of flavours with one flavour complementing the next, the bitter chocolate and chile flavours in OrganicFair's offering overpowers the cinnamon and cardamom so much they are barely perceptible. Similar failings inhibit the Provence bar with lavender, rosemary, and sweet orange: these flavours are barely discernible. Although I admire their innovative flavour pairings, it does little good when the flavours do not balance each other. Fortunately, this is not the case with all their products. They achieve perfection with the Westcoaster, toasted hazelnuts and wild blueberries; here the rich smooth chocolate asserts its dominance, then the blueberries, and last the hazelnuts. A pleasant aftertaste lingers on the palate, which compels one toward further measured consumption. In Sakura, the only other bar in the Nuts and Berries category, bitter chocolate draws out the tangy crispness of candied ginger and rich sweetness of sundried cherries.

Unlike the above companies which only use organic and fairly traded ingredients, NewTree has not embraced this level of corporate responsibility. Despite this lack of foresight, they do produce a polished and delicious product, which catchy names, such as Crave, Vigor, and Blush, and an endorsement by Oprah don't belie. The blackcurrents in Renew burst on to a backdrop of rich buttery cocoa and the hint of lemon in Forgiveness cleanses the palate with each bite. Refresh is the only dark chocolate bar that disappoints: the mint just doesn't mix well with the choice of chocolate. The milk chocolate bars also have vibrant flavours, but these bars are sweet, condensed milk sweet. Although the apricot in Crave and cinnamon in Cocoon complement the sweetness, I have to be in the right mood to enjoy them.

Zazubean's flashy names like Flirt and Lunatic and promising flavour combinations attract, but don't deliver. When I tried Flirt, acai and cherries, I expected an experience comparable to the Westcoaster; however the tart, fresh berries were undermined by bland flat chocolate. The cherries were hardly noticeable. Although I would like to see Zazubean prosper given their corporate responsibility and use of high quality products, I am somewhat hesitant to try further varieties.

Whenever I'm in the chocolate aisle and unsure of what to pick, I turn to my longstanding favourites Terra Nostra and Bjornsted. Terra Nostra's Raisins and Pecans bar brings back the flavour of the Cadbury Fruit and Nut bar which I enjoyed as a kid, but no longer enjoy (I swear the chocolate was better and there were much more raisins and nuts in each bar). Their Double Dark Truffle has a rich soft centre nestled in a crisp shell. For a plain dark chocolate bar it's hard to top Bjornsted's Dark Chocolate bar; sweet bitterness is not a contradiction.

For ice cream sundays, chocolate milk or iced-coffees look no further than Wilderness Family Naturals' Raw Chocolate Syrup; with only two ingredients, organic agave nectar and cacao powder, the health benefits match the deep flavour and rich texture. A delectable iced-coffee can be made by mixing 1 cup of ice, a handful of blueberries, 2 shots of expresso, a tablespoon of Raw Chocolate Syrup and a cup of vanilla ice cream in a blender.

Orange Onslaught

After Holland's flawless entry into the World Cup and their dirty defeat by Portugal in the 16, much has been expected from this young squad of van Basten's design. Commentator after commentator has remarked on KNVB talent and their need for only experience. This team has matured since that ugly game and learnt from their mistakes. It was awesome to see such confidence in the team and van Basten getting along well-enough with van Nistelrooy. The 3-0 score was representative of Holland's dominance and abated any question on the significance of the first off-side goal. Normally I watch Holland's games with trepidation at the edge of my seat, and although it wasn't till the third goal that this abated, I have never been filled with such jubilation since the 80's. The dominance of their accurate passing punished the Italian side and van der Sar was there to mop up the few mistakes made by the competent and confident Dutch side. I hope their mental toughness and confidence to rush the other side continues against France.

A Fevered Earth?

As I freeze in the stands watching my son's baseball games I often hear, "so much for global warming." To me it's seems like the earth has a fever, exemplifying symptoms of being cold while it's hot. Climate change means that dramatic climatic events will take place more frequently, not that politicians like Gary Lunn and George Bush can hit the beach at all times of year. This program clearly and concisely lays it all out.

In the meantime there's much that can be done, and much is being done in parts of the world. Portugal is constructing the world's largest solar farm and by 2020 plans to generate one-third of its energy from clean sources. Paris, Barcelona, Copenhagen and Lyons have provided fleets of bikes available at self-serve kiosks throughout the city. In Paris, to borrow a bike you provide a credit card deposit and get the first one-half hour free and then pay accordingly. You can then leave bike at any kiosk. Unlike BlueBike programs which deterred theft by providing clunkers and never really took off, Paris's scheme is very popular. Lobby for similar goals and projects in your country; I am ashamed of Harper's goals and targets in mine.

Smaller-scale options include changing your spending habits and for "necessary" items purchasing green products. A number of clothing lines now produce clothes made from sustainable, organic, and fairly traded materials. MEC requires every cotton product to be 100 percent organic and even stores like Superstore offer the product. Bamboo is a great material because it absorbs four times the moisture as cotton and has anti-bacterial properties. Bamboo towels and sheets are awesome. Marks has a new line of bamboo briefs and Ingeo socks. They also have an Ethical Sourcing Program. In textiles, there's a wide variety of options out there (if you're ever in Victoria, head down to lower Johnson Street; you'll be amazed). Here's an article discussing some of them. It will be true progress, however, when all products are sustainably produced and biodegradable/recyclable, as they should be.

Remembering Greatness

It's uncanny how much Obama embodies Bobby Kennedy's qualities and how his presumptive nomination fell so close to the 40th anniversary of Bobby's death. The same hope was blossoming 40 years ago. Many have recalled the story of Bobby's impromptu speech in Indianapolis after Martin Luther King's death; the fact that very little violence erupted in the city after his speech is a testament to his effectiveness. The fact that he quotes Aeschylus further exemplifies his greatness:



The transcription is available here. Here's some articles on his life: Remembering and Who was.

For those of you who are black and are tempted to fill with -- be filled with hatred and mistrust of the injustice of such an act, against all white people, I would only say that I can also feel in my own heart the same kind of feeling. I had a member of my family killed, but he was killed by a white man.

Shralpawesomeness

Shralp's snow and surf video-casts not only consistently provide good coverage/footage of the various circuits and competitions but also do so in a fun and polished manner. Besides the great editing, they incorporate a wide variety of funky soundtracks. Watching them' s also a good way to get a first look at new trailers/teasers and short films; a new favourite with my family is Gnar Wars:



Some of my past favourites have been Purple Yeahh (the artwork of Christian Nuenschwander stands out and the reel-to-reel tape is cool), In Short (the back country footage of Alaska is great), 1st place Jib-Vid winner (remote control snowboarder with girly legs), and Teenage Love Graffiti (the graphics in the intro are awesome as is the rail to foam mattress trick and cutting of icicles). The video-casts come in a variety of formats, for phones, X-Box, et cetera; it looks especially sharp on my PSP.

Turbotrimmer

Yesterday, after some doing, I finally got my hands on a Gardena Turbotrimmer. It took the better part of two months due to the inefficient and inaccurate inventory systems of HomeDepot and various e-stores I visited. At one point I was so frustrated with the phantom products and supposed shippings that I swore I'd revamp their systems. (If you're reading this HomeDepot and others, it's ridiculous that the salesperson cannot view shipping info from the product page). One advantage of the long wait is that the weeds in one corner of my lawn inaccessible by lawnmower have grown long and thick enough to adequately put the Turbotrimmer through its paces.
I purchased the Turbotrimmer because the guilt of running a two-stroke weed-eater had become too much, as had the rough running and constant stalls. I had too much grass to hand-scythe and disliked cords, so I opted for the cord-less model. The 18V lithium-ion battery provides more than enough power for my yard and that thorny corner of the lawn was effortlessly reduced to stubble. I did the backyard between rain showers and still had lots of power left after 20 min. The battery charger has a light on it to indicate whether the trimmer is fully charged or not, so there's no guess-work. I am fairly tall, 194 cm, and this product is fully adjustable so there's no need for me to stoop. Also, despite warnings in the manual, I was able to weed-eat in sandals and casual pants, as displayed on the box (I, at least, had my eye-glasses on).
The only disadvantages I experienced were that the guard gets in the way at times (I'm considering removing it, an easy operation) and the plastic blade wore pretty quickly, though by turning it around I'll get more wear out of it.

New Hope

It has been quite a week: first, 109 nations approved a treaty banning cluster munitions, and second, the democrats now have a presidential nominee who may actually ratify such treaties. In the past large arms-producers have opposed similar treaties; however, these can still have an effect on the big guns, e.g., although the U.S., China, and Russia did not sign the 1997 landmine treaty, none of them have used landmines since. The above article has a good graphic on how cluster munitions work; in order to comprehend the extent they can damage an area check out this documentary where a virtual minefield has been created by unexploded bomblets. (I'm glad to see Dan Rather has moved on to better things).

I have been surprised about the relative vacuum on reports of Obama's crossing of the threshold (2,118 delegates, including pledged super delegates). Perhaps, the media's belief was suspended, like mine; I couldn't believe the Clinton/Obama race was over and that he's the Democratic nominee. Most of the news has centred on Hilary, e.g., secret meetings, her as vice president, will she concede. All of these stories have come and gone and we'll see if she fades from the limelight after Saturday and her concession speech. I am glad that she aims, at least on the surface, to unify the party, but I am wary of her as V.P. First, as Carter notes it's a bad decision. Second, some nut case would probably view assassinating Obama (something I worry about enough) as a good way to get Hillary in.

Despite all the focus on Hillary there's been some good reporting on him: the Guardian released a story on his Kenyan roots and a video which compiled his answers to various interviews. He's so down to earth. I love when he says that talking to his grandmother drove the fact that he had won home. After watching Katie Couric's interview of him I think he deserves the nomination for gracefully responding to her annoying questions for almost half-an-hour after such a long day. Obama makes so much sense and offers so much hope, "I think they [the American people] will select who they think can best lead this country into a safer more prosperous future. ... They will make a decision based on, is this the guy who can make our health care premiums lower, is this the guy who is actually going to break the addiction we have with foreign oil, is this somebody who can responsibly get us out of Iraq and allow us to invest those billions of dollars to rebuild the infrastructure here in America? ..." (from Couric's interview, in response to her question on racial bias). Brian Williams is a much better interviewer:

Yes We Can

I just checked out Obama - The WorldBeat Album (this link includes the videos for each song). It is awesome to see so much support for Obama from such a wide variety of people. Most of these songs add lyrics concerning Barack to familiar sounding songs and beats. Some, such as Barack the Magnificent, are done well and others are too familiar to really be effective. The album also includes Yes We Can by Will.i.am. This song has taken the web by storm since February. Will.i.am and a slew of musicians and celebrities repeat or sing phrases from the concession speech Obama gave after the New Hampshire primary to Obama's utterance of the same phrases. Here's the video, which was directed by Jesse Dylan. (The Wikipedia entry lists all those who appear and the time they do so.)



We Are the Ones also is excellent; after the original, Zoe Kravitz's version plays. Can you stop playing these videos? Obama's the man.

Climate Change: Some Issues

The amount of rhetoric on climate change has grown considerably as of late and the issues have become somewhat muddled. Here are some points to bear in mind.

a) Bio-fuels are not all bad. First, those produced from cooking oil and similar wastes have a net gain; that is, very little energy is required to convert them into bio-diesel and waste is consumed rather than disposed of. Second, each vegetable has a different input/output ratio. Much of the discussion on bio-fuel has revolved around corn, especially the high food prices (and resultant reduction in total aid). However, corn ethanol is not economically viable and never has been. (It takes 1 unit of fossil-fuel energy to produce a potential 1.3 units). To understand the reason corn why corn-ethanol is produced, one must examine the power of the corn lobby and Mexico's willful, but avoidable (under NAFTA), importation of America's subsidized corn. Sugar cane, on the other hand, has an energy ratio of 1 to 8 (1 in 8 out). The real potential (and future) of bio-fuels rests on cellulosic ethanols; with advancements in technology grasses, stalks from harvested plants, or algae could have ratios as high as 1 to 36. National Graphic has published an informative article on the topic of bio-fuels and has summarized the information here.

b) Advances in technology do offer hope, but there is no magic bullet. Solutions can be offered but they must be implemented and accepted. Here, regulation and mind-sets often stunts the profitable distribution of products, e.g., the ZENN cannot be driven in Canada and the Tata OneCat pneumatic car will probably never hit North America. In the Cold North I still hear people lament over the cost of heat-pumps, despite the break-even point of seven to ten years and low emissions.

c) Despite a growing selection of green products, which I support, it is not possible for us to buy our way out of the growing crisis. The reason is that most people in the West consume and pollute much more than the earth can support. You can test this assertion by calculating your global footprint (the number of earths that would be required if everyone on earth had the same standard of living). So far, our demand has been sustained by other countries with a lower standard of living (and demand on the earth). Now that many countries are becoming developed there's less to go around; as a result, reduction, not consumption, is the key. Nevertheless, when you do purchase items it is important to do so responsibly. To examine the possibilities of responsible living check out Dockside Green. Purchasing a hybrid, electric, and fuel-cell vehicle has an added benefit: they do not idle. In Victoria an idling ban is being proposed to reduce air pollution; however, these cars offer the better solution (the best though is walking, cycling, or taking the bus).

Bello Brio

Last year, I read that Cafe Brio had installed a charcuterie room, and have been eager to try their new offerings since. On Friday, I finally had the chance. I was impressed with Brio from the start. My wife and I had decided to go out at the last minute and had phoned a couple of restaurants for a reservation late in the evening. This turned out to be a frustrating experience, until I phoned Brio. The amicable maitre d' was on top of his game and told me right away when we would be able to get a table. He gave us a warm welcome when we arrived and seated us in one of the restaurant's semi-private alcoves. Although we had glanced at the menu online, it still took us a while to make some choices given the number of offerings. In the end, we ordered a wide variety of foods starting with the charcuterie. Although the Lomo and Pork and Foie Gras Paté failed to really impress, the Duck Prosciutto reached the stars. The smooth textured duck-meat and supple layers of fat melted in my mouth and released a harmony of flavours: the curing process had diminished any overt gaminess without obstructing the meat's richness. The Lomo on the other hand was burdened by brine and the fennel hardly noticeable, although some essence of pork did linger on the palate. In the paté also, any distinct meat flavour was relegated to a faint cognisance.

Then the stodgy, but efficient, waiter brought the next course. My wife's Potato Leek Soup met the high standard set by the duck. The truffle oil petite frites burst with flavour and heightened the vegetables' flavour. My Warm Goat Cheese and Guanciale was satisfactory and would have been greatly improved if the endives were fresher and the goat cheese richer (the bread coating rendered the cheese nondescript). Despite the bland endives and goat cheese, the dark honey, pears, and salad made a winning combination that I'll be trying out at home. My wife's Dungeness Crab Frittata was a nice take on the traditional crab cake.

Next came the pasta. My wife's Game Bird Ravioli was outstanding. She had ordered it in hopes of re-experiencing the exquisite chicken liver pates we'd discovered on our trips to Italy, and was not disappointed. I was delighted with my Beet and Ricotta Canneloni, but the dish was a little weighty, so a half-order would have been better. We also shared the Asparagus Fritters; these were battered in tempura and fried. Delicious! On the whole the wine pairings were good and we generally followed the recommendations; however, when I did ask some questions I felt my waiter to be less knowledgeable than I would have generally expected (perhaps, he was a little too dependent on the sommelier's printed recommendations). By this time the kids were expected to be getting back home, so we headed off. Much is left for us to discover on future visits, such as the Lamb Proscuitto, Cured Marinated Sardines and the Grana Padano Crusted Rockfish. Cafe Brio is not perfect, but it is enjoyable. On each of our visits we have always left with at least one indelible memory; many years ago it was the horseradish encrusted halibut, but this time it's the duck proscuitto. Bon appétit.

The Current Political Landscape

Well it looks like the tide has finally turned and Hilary may even abandon her attempts at fratricide earlier than the Democratic convention. For a cool perspective of the election results check out this site and look at the number of states Obama has won. Obama clearly has a broader appeal: he has won 27 states compared to Hilary's 18. Furthermore, when Obama loses he does so by a narrower margins than Hilary. For example, Obama has lost only 8 states/territories by more than 10 percent while Hilary has lost 27 (and had some spectacular blowouts). They are also pretty even when it comes to super delegates and most of Hilary's must eventually recognize his broader appeal. With the ridiculous fiasco concerning Wright over (see The Guardian), Obama has shown he can weather the storms and prevail. Furthermore, his foreign policy aims offer some hope to the world; they are based on the precept that not only should the war be ended but also the mind-set that started it. He offers the "most sweeping liberal foreign policy critique ... in decades" and given the diverse background of his advisers (no neo-con hawks) there is a good chance it will be more than rhetoric.

There is no question that the loss of life from Cyclone Nargis could have been greatly reduced if early warnings were relayed more effectively and aid offers were not rejected by the military junta. Nevertheless, the selective amnesia of the media which decries Burma's response is irritating. Doesn't this situation sound familiar? Isn't this what happened with Katrina? My favourite story on the disaster involves three bowling pins which were sent as an aid package. How useless is that? Almost as useless as handing contracts to limousine and cruise ship companies. Maybe if "Al Qaeda blew up the levees ... New Orleans [would] have been safer that way." Sure put pressure on Burma, but don't present America as squeaky clean.

Miscellaneous Delights

As spring arrives, the beauty of the world is revealed. Peace is easy to find: a birdsong beckons me to the forest and the tranquil trickle of a spring lulls my soul. Rays of warmth disrupt the dampness. The moss makes an inviting bed, but sleep does not come. It seems a part of me suspects this unfamiliar peace. Eventually sleep does come providing a rest thrice fulfilling than the time warranted. After a siesta the long days and pleasant temperatures cause me to dine out of doors. The food keeps well in the slight cool and no wasps or mosquitoes diminish the enjoyment of my meal.

Dwelling on spring reminds me of the goodness of the Earth and why I purchase organic products whenever I can afford it. Over the years I have purchased a number of organic wines, but besides the relatively expensive Bonterra wines, I have not been overly impressed. Terra Sana (in the Flash window, click Wines & Vineyards, then France, then Terra Sana) makes a very pleasant crisp white and a decent red, but it wasn't until I tasted Villa Teresa's 2007 Merlot that I was overcome. The Merlot is light in colour and weight and provides a semi-sweet fruity flavour reminiscent of a Beaujolais Nouvea. It makes a very nice aperitif or companion to a light meal, such as a lightly dressed salad or a pork loin roast. (Its subtleties would be overpowered by the rich flavours of fish or a strip loin).

Prior to subscribing to the Best of You Tube Podcast a year and a half ago, I really had no idea of the number of people with astonishing ideas and skills. Some of them are quirky and mildly entertaining, but some are well worth watching. For a sampling, check out 323 (Grand Central Freeze), 306 (Juggling with Hammers), 280 (Backflip on slackline), 129 (Ball Skills), 104 (Pool Trick Shots).

Victor Wooten

Some musicians truly transcend their instruments and Victor Wooten is a case in point. He views the bass as means for communicating his musical creativity, takes chances with the instrument, and draws inspiration from a number of sources. For example, he suggests giving a bass guitar to musicians of other instruments who have never played the bass and seeing what they do with it. His transcendence is no plainer than at his live shows. A popular clip is his performance of Amazing Grace from Live at the Quick. Although this clip and Norwegian Wood display his command of the bass around a popular melody, they do not reveal the full extent of his magic. The following video does not have the best recording, but it shows what I mean:



The highlight though is when he de-tunes and re-tunes his bass while he jams. I had a hard time finding a good video of it and this is the best I could get (turn down your volume before you play):



He also makes a loop and solos around it. All of his albums are worth getting, though not all of Live in America appealed to me. Lastly here is a cool re-edit of Bonham alongside Wooten (there are only a few images on the video, but the track is done well):

Béla Fleck and the Flecktones

Béla Fleck has been a favourite artist of mine for a number of years; the variety of his releases (from Tales of the Acoustic Planet to Perpetual Motion) is staggering, as is the extent of his collaborations (from Dave Matthews to Chick Corea). His work with the Flecktones is no less outstanding. Seeing Victor Wooten live is an amazing experience: he can de-tune and re-tune his bass while playing it. Futureman holds his own in innovations and Jeff Coffin continues the legacy of Roland Kirk. Béla and the Flecktones have always been at the forefront of technology (DVD Audio on Tales of the Acoustic Planet 2 and DualDisc of Hidden Land ) and the breadth of their collaborations and styles of play can easily be grasped in Little Worlds and Live at the Quick. Live at the Quick remains one of my favourite concert DVDs and features a number of guest musicians of whom Kongar-ol Ondar is the most notable.

Béla's new project is a film on his journey to Africa, the birth-place of the banjo (of course, jamming with the locals). It looks to be a promising film and has already picked up awards. The cool graphics of the website is really worth checking out. Here's the preview of Throw Down Your Heart:

The Guardian

Although I was stung when Noam Chomsky included the Guardian in Manufacturing Consent, I have come to respect this news source. In general, I'm somewhat wary of all mainstream media, especially when it stirs up kerfuffles like Obama and Wright (At least the NY Times quoted Achelpohl who stated, "This is a media-driven thing and a presidential candidate shouldn’t have to vet every person that he has had a relationship with in his life."). I frequently read the Weekly, an outstanding publication with features from Le Monde and the Washington Post, (I particularly enjoy World roundup, Comment&Debate, Culture, Books, and Diversions). The Guardian is also one of the RSS feeds in my Bookmarks Toolbar Folder. What stands out about the Guardian though is its extensive adoption of modern technology, e.g., podcasts, interactive maps, and more than the usual superficial reference to blogs. The City Guides are excellent; they are podcast tours of a number of European cities. I just listened to the Paris 1968 walking tour. Although I was not in Paris at the time, I know the city well enough to follow along in my mind. If you listen you will learn much about the city and the period; here are my favourite parts. Near the middle Sarah Wilson states, "Paris designed by Haussman is a series of very very direct boulevards designed really for military things; in fact, confrontations with the police, which is what 68 is all about. In fact, the situationist idea goes all the way back to surrealism with the important ideas of psycho-geography, finding surprising and weird places in the secret Paris, but also to in, more important, 68 ideas that of dérive (swerving) and détournement (diversion) ..." Just before the end Andrew Hussey states, "It is truly the first post-modern revolution, that is to say, it's not a revolution driven by nineteenth century Marxist ideas of class, but to do with boredom, boredom with consumer capitalism, to do with a sense that everyday life itself is a con trick that's been perpetrated on us."

New Music (to me)

I have been downloading a lot of music lately. One goal of mine has been to complete albums for which I only have a few songs (usually due to the high price and low quality of iTunes, except Plus, see mp3fiesta). Other goals were simply to expand my musical horizons, check out new releases and get further releases from favoured musicians. Of course, MySpace Music is an awesome resource and I can't wait for its store to open. The store should provide an easy way to access all that good music and will save me emailing artists about purchasing their music. Frank Mackie, whose song New Wave Fall Express was featured in the last Shralp Snow videocast, is a recent favourite.

Throughout this downloading process, I have found some gems and disappointments. Flight of the Conchords' Collection is very disappointing and besides the hilarious song "The Most Beautiful Girl in the Room," The Distant Future is pretty weak. Although Shawn Colvin's latest album, These Four Walls, is fairly good, it's just more of the same, so I wouldn't recommend it if you have previous albums. Groove Armada's latest Soundboy Rock has some good songs, but none that make it stand out, though it's still worth getting. Last Night by Moby has some new beats and if you like his style you'll enjoy this album (the chords from his keyboard still weave through the beats creating a lulling flow and there is a good selection of vocal tracks). After Cru and the Life Aquatic soundtrack, I looked forward to hearing Ana and Jorge. There are definitely some good songs, but the album and the concert lack fluidity and compositional congruity. My introduction to Ana Carolina was the best thing I gained from the album. Her deep voice and amazingly lengthy high notes compliment Jorge's raspier voice; the same goes for her crisp guitar playing, which compliments Jorge's loose-string casualness. Ana can also funk the bass; listen to Tanta Saudade. Of course, they had their hits and their version of The Blowers' Daughter (from O and Closer) is good in a pop way:



This song reminded me of K'naan and Nelly Furtado's duet. Check out the drum box (I've heard Futureman play them live a few times; they're awesome):



Bebel Gilberto reaches for new heights with her title track Momento; it has the finesse of some of her mother's work. Although her voice on Close to You reminds me of her father, the next few tracks seem somewhat redundant, each having the same pop construction. With Cacada the polished tunes in the same vein of Momento returns and continues for most of the album. I've always found her previous albums patchy to some degree, so if you enjoy her previous work you'll enjoy this one.

Global Care, Cheap and Easy

Purchasing green products does decrease your footprint, but a number of solutions cost no money. Reducing consumption is an obvious one, but one that needs to be stated more often in North America. The Hungersite and its family of sites only require a click to make a donation to various causes or purchase endangered land. The donations are made possible by donors and advertisers. Over the years the website has been greatly improved, so the process is easier than ever (if you stopped clicking due to its inefficiency, try it again). The site has tabs down the side that contain concise information on a number of issues and fair trade items can be purchased through the site. EcologyFund works the same way as the Rainforest site. Both sites tell you how much land has been saved (on the Hungersite the info appears after you click, while EcologyFund has it in the sidebar); encouraging. I have these links in my Bookmarks Toolbar Folder, so it's easy to click every day (you can only do it once a day). To add them there, assuming you're using Firefox, just click Bookmark This Page and select Bookmarks Toolbar Folder.

Nature Conservancy Canada (NCC) has partnered with UsedEverywhere, so sellers can donate a portion of their sale to the NCC. Sellers doing so will have a NCC logo next to the item for sale.

Don't forget World Fair Trade Day on May 10th.

Brisk Berry Blend

After a snowfall last week, spring has arrived in Victoria; finally, I can don the batik shirt I brought back from Indonesia in February. Today, to quench my thirst, stay awake and get a little buzz, I invented a divine nectar (my usual at 2% Jazz and the Black Stilt is better suited to cooler weather and evenings). Dig out your blender or hand-blender and mix together 1 1/2 cups of chocolate ice cream, 2/3 cup of frozen blueberries, 1/2 cup of ice, 2 to 3 shots of espresso, 1 cup of milk, and a shot of blueberry liqueur. If fresh blueberries are used use 3/4 cup of ice. I used Thetis Island Vineryard's Blueberry Fruit Wine; if you prefer a blackberry flavoured drink, use blackberries and Cherry Point's Blackberry Port.

Vitriolic embers and definitely maybe

In the same way that Snowman's old addictions "burst into full and luxuriant bloom," my prejudices lie under the desert sands (Atwood. Oryx and Crake, 333). When and what will ignite my embers varies, but a good rant often burns them out. A rant can't be a sanitized tract on bullshit (people say "bullshit" when they're mad or hurt), but must get to the point like a Difranco tune. Call it as it is. Be a race car driver. Leave your suburban sloppiness. Learn to corner, gear down, and accelerate smoothly:



Frustration is "why don't you value what I do?" or "why don't you hear me?". Don't you know how much more efficient and safer the traffic flow would be if you took driving seriously? It's not something you do while talking on the phone, eating a burger, reading a paper, etc ... . Well, I feel better. But I've been there, kids screaming, phone ringing, and late; mistakes happen. Oh ... yeah: the song changes from Untouchable Face to You Had Time. A chill flows through my veins taming the conflagration. Dissonance changes to resonance, the imperative to the subjunctive. Now, the hunks of peat sizzle softly, warming my bones. Beauty's got me.

Fiskiness

Robert Fisk has always had a lot to say on the Middle East, and deservedly so. In London last week he commented that if modern reporters would read and consider history books in their reporting they would know that Churchill spoke about a "wealthy, crowded Jewish state, armed to the teeth" as early as 1937. The Guardian, which reported this story, produced Rachel Cook's candid interview with him in Beirut the next day. A month ago, Fisk pronounced that after five years in Iraq and we still haven't learnt our lesson. More recently, after an engagement in Ottawa where he stated that the audience was at liberty to condemn Israel and America, he has shifted his focus slightly, to Bush. He has come to the conclusion that Semantics can't mask Bush's chicanery. I personally think that chicanery is too strong a word for Bush as it implies a certain craftiness, which Bush, but not his close circle, lacks. Nevertheless, Fisk clears up the vagueness surrounding the actual casualties and deaths in the war and what has (not) actually been accomplished. His analysis and comments, such as the prevalence of "re" in Bush-speak, nicely complements other elucidations made on the occasion of the war's fifth anniversary (see Barackidiness2; for Iraq in general. Middle East Mess, Duped and Iraq Bits; for Bush's qualifications, Can the English Language Survive George Bush? and his phonetic teleprompter). Although I agree with and enjoy most of his pointed remarks, Fisk always provides enough fact and sentiment to tone down the offensive ones.

Reflections of an old(er) man

My absence from the blogosphere is easy to account for: on Tuesday I aged a few decades when my back went out. The list of "no longer ables" is a mile long and even as I write now I'm lying flat, regretting the purchase of my heavy laptop, which presses hard against my mid-riff. Like the aged, I have had much time to reflect and read. I read The Children of Hurin, The Guardian Weekend, some academic articles, and made some good progress through Oryx and Crake, a wonderfully written social commentary; however, it's the time for reflection I've really treasured. My nine year-old son took up the slack and unloaded the truck full of compost, which had mocked my condition in its untouched state in the driveway, carefully spreading it around the plants in the garden. I've often been the blessed recipient of his outside-of-school work ethic, such as a divine breakfast-in-bed served upon a fully furnished platter after a lie-in. My laid-out state caused my four year-old daughter much consternation and she would frequently check on me and pat my arm or kiss my cheek; then there's the selfless labour of my wife, all the meals, work and cleaning.

Receiving blessing amidst this pain got me to thinking about my interactions with others. My sub-conscious must have been doing the same because before I fell asleep the other night I had a vision of a tumbleweed in constant (and random) motion bumping into a wide circle of stationary objects. In my lucid state I took the tumbleweed to be me and the pillars, those I interacted with. The picture seemed to benefit me solely, so a top, more specifically a hard, pointed, and long-spinning Bey-Blade (I can't believe they once cost $15) might be more appropriate: the blades could actually take out chunks to represent what I took from others, the borrowings from their soul. Of course, all this imagery is rooted in my self-focused condition, but it got me to thinking nonetheless. In the same way that a whirling dervish can signify divine communication, so can water molecules represent human interaction: molecules mixing amidst eddies appear like humans moving through experiences. To get a sense of what I mean watch this:



Each person dancing and sharing yet also alone, swimming yet pushed by the currents. Are we propelled through life by the force emitted by the movement from withdrawing to socializing, taking to serving? Or some other force? Who knows? But at this time I especially enjoy the weightless feeling of being around family and good friends. Keep swimming.

Recycling and Purchasing Responsibly in a Consumer Culture

The harsh reality of a lack of concern for the environment becomes apparent to me whenever I fish recyclables out of the trash. Landfill bans have lessened this experience somewhat, but initiatives, such as every public waste-receptacle having separate compartments for biodegradable, non-biodegradable, and recyclable would have a greater impact (I can't tell you the number of times I've had to hunt for a place to put my recyclables; that is, in every place except Cebu airport, which has these). Furthermore, a recent article has shown that Canadians print an average of 30 pages a day at their offices and discard of 40 percent of these immediately after printing; only a third felt guilty for this behaviour, while three-quarters were concerned about their impact on the environment, though apparently not concerned enough to use print preview and double check the number of pages selected.

Putting the waste in the proper receptacle and reducing paper (reading on the screen is much less strenuous with today's monitors and programs that manage files for easy retrieval, e.g., Endnote, RA Document Organizer, IdeaTracker, and others) requires little thought, especially if you've toured a landfill or a developing nation to see what the consequences are. Recycling has also become easier with the addition of a number of items, such as tin foil, to the recyclables list (I'll soon be posting another entry on recycling in Victoria, including how to dismantle non-recyclable items, so their parts can be). Nevertheless, much waste is generated by consumerism; if you don't wish to petition companies or research how much waste they produce, you can vote with your dollar, i.e., purchase items in bulk and with less packaging. Manufacturers also save money with less packaging or providing digital products in downloadable form and the amount of green house gases produced is greatly reduced due to resultant increase in transport efficiency (more items can fit in a container). I can't believe Thrifty Foods advertised items as "flown in" to emphasize their freshness, but which really betrayed the emissions generated.

You can also, with some research and care, choose products that have less impact on the environment. A number of classifications, such as Organic and FSC, provide a guiding hand. Of course, the environmental impact becomes more acute with the purchase of larger items, such as furnaces and cars; heat pumps and hybrids, in general, are the best option (ten years, the period it takes to recoup the additional costs goes by really fast). Many websites rate the energy efficiency of cars and other items, but beware because none of these ratings are standard like EnerGuide. Nevertheless, researching every day items can be tedious (it took me ages to find the Fuchs Ekotec toothbrush with a replaceable head); that is pre-Zumer.

Zumer is a new website, which is now in beta and offered by invitation (click the link to request a membership by email, from then on it's pretty much straight forward), that simplifies this process. Upon registering you fill out a questionnaire with four categories: EcoFriendly (I love the question of paper products with the option "I only use a bidet"), Social Justice, Product Advocate, and Corporate Watchdog. Then you search or browse for products, which are ranked according to these preferences. You can then click on each item to find out details about the product and the corporation that produced it. This feature is very helpful. Zumer covers a wide array of items from laptops to handbags and has a number of categories that are not active yet, so once the final version is launched it will be fairly comprehensive. The same goes for the inclusion of lesser known brands (often more environmentally responsible). This site is easy to use and I recommend it; look out for its official launch in the near future.

Once you get this process of making informed choices down it becomes effortless. Of course corporate responsibility and environmental impact can only form so many of your choices, but on the whole organic and socially conscious products are produced with greater care and taste better. Hopefully corporations will pay attention to Zumer and your choices and change their practises accordingly. See Walmartification, Creation Care, and Biblical Environmentalism for more on the environment.

Magical (re)interpretations

Due to mp3fiesta's accessibility, calabash and epitonic's wide variety, and friends' good taste, I have been listening to some very good music lately. Like many fans I usually frown upon the release of greatest hits albums, usually viewing them as a money grab and preferring the "hits" in their original context; however, every now and then I am pleasantly surprised. I have been thoroughly enjoying Mothership, not so much because the songs were chosen by the surviving band members themselves, but because the re-mastering of the songs is magnificent. I have a newfound appreciation for the intricacy of Page's guitar work and Plant's high pitched screams. I cannot overstate the clarity of the recording; it's first class and worth many times the dollar I spent on fiesta. Even Stairway to Heaven, a song which has been forever tainted by too many plays as the last song at school dances, bristled with Page's fine guitar work. I now appreciate the band much more than the grainy 70's and 80's tapes ever allowed. Given the lower tones associated Jones and Bonham's work, the improvement is not as noticeable; however, they still drive many of the songs and I found myself air drumming and moving to the bass more than ever. Only the cowbell in Houses of the Holy made me wish for less clarity.

Lenny Kravitz has always focused songs around blazing guitar licks (sometimes with off-set bass lines), frequently blending the melody lines into them. He pulls this effect off well in his new album, It's Time for a Love Revolution, especially on songs, such as Bring It On, Love Love Love, If You Want It, and Dancin' Till Dawn. I think he must have been listening to a lot of the Beetles when he recorded it, because some songs have a Beetles feel, e.g., I'll Be Waiting, I Love the Rain, A Long and Sad Goodbye; Good Morning even includes McCartney's distinctive yell. Some of the songs, Bring it on and If You Want It, have religious overtones, but this is nothing new to Kravitz's music. Overall, a pretty good rock out session.

Since hearing Bach's Air put to beats on Buddha Bar - Ten Years, I've become addicted to this re-interpretation of classical pieces. Two outstanding albums, Mozart l'égyptian and Lambarena: Bach to Africa , do this well and are a delight to listen to. Mozart includes more of Mozart's famous melodies, which are played on Middle-Eastern instruments and put to voice in Arabic, while Lambarena tends to reinterpret Bach's music and the melodies are not as accessible.

I just found out that Bruce Cockburn and Romeo Dallaire's Child Soldiers No More concert is coming to Victoria on October 4th. This should prove to be an amazing evening; both men have a deeply personal message and exude talent. Dallaire's scarred journey is particularly compelling; no doubt I'll have a review of it in October.

Valuing the Humanities and the Arts

As a student of the humanities and an artist, I often feel the need to justify my vocation. On the way to school I regularly face a gauntlet of neighbours and family who, ignorant of my preference for late nights, remark on my late start. With every passing year, funding requires more work to for qualification and is harder to come by. Last year my choice of office was a dilapidated WWII era hut or a crowded room; I only complained once I saw the plush equivalent in engineering. Furthermore, I am not alone: Chad Gaffield, the new president of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), now seeks to “make crystal clear the ways in which SSHRC advances knowledge and invests in human capital” to the Harper government, which can be argued is suspicious of SSHRC. So what is the value of the fine arts and humanities?

Fine art provides a way for humans to make sense of their world. It helps us grieve: just think of the powerful anthem, “like a candle in the wind,” belted out by so many at Diana’s funeral to expunge the grief from their souls. The arts provide us with a dialogue when ours has been lost. They speak the unspeakable. It is uncanny how often a song comes on the radio, a painting comes into focus, or a poetic phrase catches the ear which expresses the deep groaning that is even incomprehensible to us. Karen Armstrong, speaking of poetry, phrases it this way: “Poetry matters, among many other reasons, because it is by its nature revelatory, surprising, and liberating. It re-connects us with the familiar world we mistakenly think we know while offering glimpses of the mysterious and untranslatable worlds we know we don’t know” (Tapestry October 30, 2007).

It is pure wonderment how words find their way on to a page or into a melody. I love how Gwen Stefani describes the process: “Sometimes it's so hard to find out what I am trying to say. People might think you can turn creativity on and off, but it's not like that. It just kind of comes out, a mash-up of all these things you collect in your mind. You never know when it is going to happen, but when it does it is like magic. It's just that simple and it's just that hard.” Nevertheless, the artwork seems to take on a life of its own when released into the world. Alberto Manguel states, “Under certain conditions, stories can assist us. Sometimes they can heal us, illuminate us, and show us the way. Above all they can remind us of our condition, break through the superficial appearance of things, and make us aware of the underlying currents and depths. Stories can feed our consciousness, … .” (The City of Words, 9-10).

So art matters, it's inherently precious, even magical, but what value does it have? Ironically, although art helps us process the overpowering and speak out our inmost thoughts, the personal experience rarely has currency; namely, the cathartic love, anger, drama, and sadness soon fades when related to another. I can’t number the times I’ve tried to recapture a mood and failed; I always want to ask, “Didn’t that piece touch you, pamper you, and grant mercy to you?” Even when art is experienced together, each individual comes away with unique impression, never mind other factors that influence experience, such as trends and critics’ opinions. Art is enigmatic: personal yet communal and elusive yet accessible.

Art’s value is more than personal betterment and access to the sublime. Art speaks to us about the human condition: how and why people act as they do, what people experience and how they express this experience, or what causes humans to tick. The humanities are disciplines that examine multiple forms of art in their historical context and the context of other pieces of art to answer these questions; scholars revive, restore, preserve, and interpret artwork. Provided there’s not too much ivory-tower jargon, these scholars can disseminate the understanding on the human condition. They can accomplish this in oblique ways, such as The Lord of the Rings and Narnia series. This field also includes philosophy and history; scholars from Berlin to Ignatieff have disseminated insightful perspectives on their current worlds. Understanding the past and the cultures of the past does provide a lesson we can learn from.

Yet, despite the valuation of master artworks, record deals and box office profits, how can art and its study be valued in dollar terms.?It can’t. Although today's market-place has no way to value the abstract or intrinsic (the environment is a good example), some dollar term needs to be assigned to them. They need to appear in the budget since their value can no longer be assumed in today’s reductionist climate. Sure any value is ambiguous, but funding needs to continue. How can one value the work of authors, such as Günter Grass (despite his role in the Waffen-SS), have had a deep impact on their country’s ability to process trauma and heal; in Crabwalk, he states, “History, or, to be more precise, the history we Germans have repeatedly mucked up, is a clogged toilet. We flush and flush, but the shit keeps rising. … By now, after all, we Germans have come up with expressions to help us deal with the past: we are to atone for it, come to terms with it, go through a grieving process” (122). How about those who bring understanding of the plight of others, e.g., K'naan, or understanding among cultures, e.g., Solzhenitsyn? The media just brings new information, facts and figures, and no way to process them. As Louis Riel stated, the artists would be the ones who gave the people (Métis) back their spirit once they’d been asleep for one hundred years. Don't they do the same for us now?

Canada on the world stage

I've always been well received as a Canadian in my travels and even experienced about-face reactions when angry or reserved people learn I'm not American; however, there are times when I'm less apt to wear my Canadian-ness on my sleeve. Today is such a day: Canada has derailed a UNHRC resolution to make clean water a basic human right. Although I understand Canada's reason for doing so (their afraid that they'll be forced to sell or give water as a result), I do not approve of this motion. During Harper's tenure Canada seems to have lost its sense of the greater good and become overly concerned with the legal implications of every decision. While I in no way suggest the government or any one else ignore the advice of lawyers, it's no good to be paralyzed by the "what-ifs". For example, the main reason Canada has not made an apology to the First Nations, like Australia's, is that it may be exploited legally as an admission of guilt; Canada purposely avoided the term in the 1998 statement of reconciliation concerning the abuses that took place at residential schools. Still, Australia did it. We have not, although the AFN would welcome it. Instead, Canada has voted against a UN's native rights declaration; McNee, Canada's UN ambassador, stated the declaration was "overly broad, unclear and capable of a wide variety of interpretations."

The Harper government has also softened its stance on capital punishment: for the first time in ten years, Canada has not co-sponsored the UN resolution on capital punishment and it has stopped seeking clemency for Canadian prisoners on Death Row. These actions have been denounced by Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International. Never mind Canada's role in trying to derail and eventually dilute the Bali talks on climate change. Read McNee's statement to the UN or the many critiques of Canada's climate change plan (e.g., Suzuki). These examples show that the Canadian government is frequently guided by technocrats, legal advisers, and making America happy. What about the great Canadian ideal which is rooted in Canada's role in liberating Europe, serving as peace-keepers, and not joining the invasion of Iraq? Is this just propaganda from a world past or is its absence indicative of a lack of cohesiveness in Canada?

National identity is a vast topic indeed, but I think some firm decisions governed by more than the pragmatic would go a long way. Canada also seems to dilute its identity, as if it's hesitant to be too proud: it is the only country I've seen that has no division between residents and visitors at immigration and probably, the only country that on government forms and surveys defaults to "select country" on a world list rather than default to "Canada" or at least list "Canada" first on the list. Furthermore, there is less consistency among the official languages, for example, upon disembarking the plane at Vancouver I saw only Mandarin/Cantonese signs directing the way to immigration (I relied on the universal symbol to find my way) and in the lavatory saw an English and Spanish sign; I am speaking of languages at an official level and fully appreciate the diverse nature of Canada and ethnic districts that have signs in various languages. So what brings definition for me? Stan Rogers, Glen Gould, Trudeau and Stephen Leacock from the past and CBC radio, the Hip, Hockey Night in Canada, Dallaire, and the great number of immigrants (poets, scholars, artists, and athletes especially) at the present. My vision of Canada would have Harper banning the import of fossil fuels in ten years to address climate change and providing a cohesive plan for doing so; apologizing to the First Nations; and upholding Canadian law on capital punishment. In other words, I envision Canada as a leader rather than a hesitant follower.